Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-12-03

/ y reporter was strolling through a cross
street the other day when his attention
was attracted by sign over the door OF
one OF the basement shops with which the
| place abounded. The sign read:
HAL of Records-Legal, Genealogical,
Heraldic, Family Searches and Investiga-
tons made in all parts of Europe; Herald
~ in all its legal bearings, with full in
terpretations; Family Records OF Dutch,
Puritan, French, German and English
Families. Fifteen Years the Foreign
Agent of the New York College of Herald
ry Two hundred thousand records, Co.
600 of 4Iuguenots; Antique Clocks, Fur
niture, Portraits and Paintings with Ar
mortal Bearings"
The windows above which this lengthy
legend was displayed were filled with
collection of heraldic devices, coats OF
arms painted in bright colors and florid
designs on large sheets of paper and
parchment, old book plates and copies of
inscriptions ON old tombstones Inside,
upon the walls and doors, were designs
representing coats of arms, which were
ascribed to nearly all the noted men of
the present time. Around the sides of
the room were ranged rows Of tall, brass
faced clocks of the style OF century or
two ago. and several other pieces of
antique fashioned furniture. They were
| all made after the same general plan and
| method of ornamentation, being built of
dark colored oak, inlaid with q lighter
colored wood resembling maple. Coats of
arms Of different families and Of various
nationalities were worked into the in
laying On screen were hung several
/ time stained cracked oil paintings, while
on dresser in the corner was q set
of crocl1ery very much resembling the
IL
now, and sprinkled around the room were
several bits OF old armor, rusty looking
swords, yellow leafed books and anti
quated prints. The place had the appear
ance of an 'told curiosity shop;' but at
the same time there was an air of SINH
/ larity and uniformity in the contents of
the room that could not but suggest the
possibility of the various articles having
come from the same factory, and having
been turned out within the last decade.
The similarity of the clocks was particu-
larly startling. The genius who presided
in this abode of questionable antiquity
J was bald headed, deaf little man, who
seemed to be full of all kinds Of heraldic
lore, but ratified his stories Off as though
he had learned them by heart from CYCLIC
pedia.
In answer to a question rs to where all
! these antique articles came from, the re-
porter was informed that the proprietor
had Drought them over with him. the
last time he visited Holland. ''There,n
said he, pointing to one of the clocks, is
! Verplanck clock | found IL the last
time l was over. / was walking along
i the streets of Amsterdam and noticed the
escutcheon of the family built into the
wall of IN old house / got permission
To go up into the attic, and up in the cock
| loft-between the attic and the roof
found this old clock. 1t was covered with
| Deeswax and dirt. bought it, and
! brought it home aud fixed it up. There
is Van Horne clock; here is an Aston
clock; here''--
''How do you get hold of your coats of
arms?' inquired the reporter, raising his
voice to make the little man hear him.
sDo you find those in the cocklofts, tooy'
'"They are all the result of careful fl
vestigation,' replied the little man. Il
have in my possession over zoo, 600 records
| Of all the leading families in America,
GO, 900 of uugIenoss, and over 10000
copies Of inscriptions on tombstones in
Holland and different parts of Europe. ]
have them MI alphabetically arranged,
and can lay my his"d on any one of them
| in minute
10 you have much call fol Tho results
| Of your investigationssp was asked.
'.Oh. YES: my business is very good"
| replied the little man. II supply coats OF
arms to ali the principal families in New
! York. They come to me and want me TO
! look up the history of their family and
| paint their coat Of arms for them. have
| such q large number of records that can
almost always find it for them"
But what do you do in case they have
no coat of arms:'' asked the reporter.
'.Oh, well, in that case, replied the lit
tie man, ssthcre is no law to hinder man
from adopting one. Sometimes people
| don't like the colors Of the coats that be-
| long to them, md want me to paint them
| in different colors. OF course in that case
i can only give them certificate that IL
Is painted like copy shown
The reporter buying become interested
IN the little deaf Rams prattle, concluded
to make u few further inquiries on the
subject, aud see If tie heraldry business
was in such flcurishiDg condition as he
represented it. With this object he called
uron Mr.. Edward Vermont, the well
known editor Of the book entitled Amer
in IIc-alsiica. and one Of the best
| authorities on the subject in the country
| Nj. Vermont was found and expressed
himself as very ready to talk upon the
subject.
While expressing the utmost contempt
for all persons having anything to do with
bogus arms, Mr.. Vermont was decidedly
Of the opinion that there was no good
| reason why persons who were entitled to
historic coats Of arms should not display
them in America as wei as anywhere
else.
ssThe fact is. . eaid he, there are very
| few families that are entitled to arms
| Anyway. The number il much smaller
than is generally supposed, even by those
| well read on tic sCbj.ct. / do not sup
roSc that there ETe CO families in Amer
Zen who have any title to tho arms they
wear. There surely IRE not over 200 in
NtT York. ss.sd Lot oycr twenty Of these
arc E1s.i1s. scg IN Tics. Iac naTnb6r
81 t.ese i Kei xxi ial.ccd, Is fl1acst
III Of 10 carly Dutch seitleIx came from